


The Case

by merelysherlocked



Category: Marvel AU - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-05-15 16:10:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14793687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merelysherlocked/pseuds/merelysherlocked
Summary: An AU where Steve and Tony are both lawyers. They have drifted apart since law school. Years later, a case pops up. Steve decides to take the case. He doesn't know who the opposing lawyer is until he walks into the court room and finds none other than Tony Stark in the room.Will they be able to rekindle an old relationship? Or will the fact that they are on opposing sides keep them apart?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a SteveTony fanfic. 
> 
> Feel free to leave comments if you want! 
> 
> Hope that you enjoy the story.

Steve was just about to take out his notepad and pen when the opposing lawyer walked into the courtroom. He froze, his gaze resting on the man. The man strut into the room like he owned the place and nodded to the judge as if he had known him his entire life. Steve swallowed thickly. There was only one person he had known to act that way. One man who dressed in suits that put all other suits to shame. Tony Stark. The Tony Stark was the lawyer he’d be going up against. The one lawyer that he always joked that he wanted to go up against, but truthfully never did. The one person that he wanted to see again but kept telling himself that he didn’t. He forced himself to breathe. Oh, this was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story begins.

When Steve had first heard that he had gotten into the law school of his choice, he hadn’t been able to believe it. Yes, he had the grades to get into the school, but he still hadn’t thought that they’d want him to attend. But here he was, holding the letter to the school. Tears threatened to spill over his cheeks. Steve Rogers, a nobody, just some kid from Brooklyn, had gotten into an Ivy League school. 

 

**** 

 

Most of the first year of law school was a blur. Steve was too busy getting acclimated to everything to really concentrate on the people who were in his classes or any ‘extracurricular’ activities. It’s not that Steve wasn’t interested in those things, he was just too busy focusing on, well, getting good grades. Law school was competitive, and he didn’t want to ruin his future by focusing too much on ‘fun’ things. Bucky, the one friend who he had made during the first year, made sure that Steve didn’t waste countless hours studying. Whenever Steve was locked up in his apartment for too long, he’d drag him out and they’d do something – like go to a pub or go to the movies. Even when Steve didn’t want to do those things, Bucky made sure that Steve didn’t overwork himself. And, as much as Steve liked to complain about him forcing him to go out, he did appreciate it. He knew that he needed to get out every once in a while. 

One night, near the end of their first year, Bucky forced Steve to go out to a party. Bucky hadn’t said that it was a party – he said that it was a ‘get together’ – but Steve knew that that meant that it was a party. Steve wanted to study for finals, but that ‘wasn’t’ an option, apparently, because it was a Friday night. 

“Bucky, I told you, I need to study for -,” Steve said. 

“You’ve been studying for the past 3 hours; you need a break.” 

“Did you hear what she said, though? It’s going to be difficult…we need to prepare for it.” 

“And we will! But not right now.” 

Steve sighed deeply. 

“I’m not in the mood to party right now.” 

“It’s not a party, it’s a get-together.” 

“Which means a party.” 

“Come on, Steve. Just for an hour.” 

Steve raised an eyebrow at that. Maybe an hour away from his books wouldn’t be too bad. 

“And then I can leave? You won’t force me to stay for longer?” 

“Yes, then you can leave.” 

Steve glanced at his textbook one more time before closing it. 

“Fine. I’ll go.” 

 

**** 

 

Just as Steve had expected, the ‘get-together’ was a party. There was music, drinking, and dancing. Dancing. Steve shuddered at the thought. The only positive, he supposed was, that there weren’t as many people at the party that he had thought that there would be. And even though there was music, it wasn’t obscenely loud. He could actually talk to people without having to scream over the music. 

“I’m going to get a refill of my drink,” Bucky said to Steve before he wandered off in the direction of the kitchen. 

Steve sighed and leaned against the wall, his gaze resting on the people who were dancing. If one could call grinding up against each other dancing. One would think those in law school would behave better, but…well, guess he was incorrect. Steve pushed himself away from the wall and exited the room when he saw some girl make eye contact with him. No. That was definitely not what he was here for. 

He glanced at the time as he wandered through the kitchen to a hall. 10:30pm. He still had a whole other half an hour to go. He would just leave, but he had promised Bucky on the way over to the party that he’d stay for at least an hour. After walking for a few moments, he stopped at a room where the door was half open. Some music – jazz music, if he was correct – came from the room. He peeked in, his gaze quickly taking in the room. A few people were sitting on the couch, laughing. Steve frowned – he didn’t know any of these people. 

“Hey, you,” a voice said. Steve blinked and tried to focus on the voice. “Are you just going to lurk there or?” 

“I-I’m sorry, I was just…taking a walk.” 

He glanced away from the room, down the hallway. His cheeks burned. 

“Really? I had no idea. You’re here now though, so you might as well stick around a bit. Better than walking around the apartment like you’re lost.” 

“I’m not lost, I was just looking around.” 

Finally, he mustered the courage to glance in the room. One of the people who was sitting on the couch stood up. It was a guy. He was wearing a suit. A suit. Who on earth wore a suit to this type of thing? 

“Now you’re staring. Are you going to keep staring? If so, I’ll at least pose for you.” 

Steve swallowed thickly and shook his head. 

“S-sorry.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it. Now, are you going to join us?” 

Steve glanced at the people on the couch again. To his surprise, they weren’t staring at him. Yes, they were looking at him, but they didn’t look at him as if he had just committed some serious crime. 

“Sure,” Steve said. It was better than being out in the main area not talking to anyone. Sure, Bucky had said he had just been going for a drink, but he knew Bucky. He probably would up talking to a bunch of people. 

He made his way into the room and sat down in an armchair that sat across from the couch. The guy who had been talking to turned to face him.

“And, you are?” 

“Steve.” 

The man’s gaze narrowed a little bit; it searched Steve’s face, as if he was trying to place him. 

“Ah, right. You’re the kid who always sits in front of all of the classes.” 

Steve couldn’t help but blush a bit at that. He thought that nobody really noticed him. 

“Yes…that’s right…and you are?” 

The man’s eyes widened a bit as if he was offended by the question. Should he know who he is?

“Tony Stark.” 

For a moment, Steve was certain that he hadn’t heard him correctly. This couldn’t be Tony Stark. There was just no way. Surely Steve would’ve recognized him right away. Tony himself wasn’t that famous, but his father was. And because of that, Tony himself was a bit famous. At least for those who followed legal cases and such. 

“You’re Tony Stark?” 

Tony smirked and gestured to himself. 

“In the flesh.” 

“N-nice to meet you,” Steve stammered. His cheeks turned a bright pink. 

“Ah, I know that it can be overwhelming to meet me, but I’m just like you.” He winked at him. “Anyways, I’d like you to meet my companions.” 

Oh. Right. They weren’t the only ones in the room. The color on Steve’s cheeks darkened. Tony must’ve seen the blush, but he didn’t comment. He gestured to a red-headed girl who was sitting on the couch – she was about their age. 

“This is Natasha,” he started. He pointed to the boy sitting next to her. “And this is Rhodey.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Steve said. He shook their hands before settling down on the couch. 

The conversation paused there; everyone, surprisingly, was looking at Steve. Steve’s gaze flitted between them. What did they want? Did they want him to explain who he was or something? 

“Erm, so…why’re you guys not with the rest of the party?” 

Tony shrugged. 

“We were, but then Natasha got tired of the music so…,” Tony said. 

“I was not tired of the music. I just didn’t like the type of music that was playing.” 

“It was good music.” 

“Not to me.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Anyways. What’s your poison?” Tony asked. 

“My poison?” Steve asked, somewhat offended. 

“He means what do you like to drink,” Natasha said.

“Oh…whatever is fine.”

“Come on, everyone has the drink that they prefer.” 

Steve sighed softly. One drink couldn’t hurt. 

“Beer.” 

Tony got up and opened the fridge, taking out a beer. He opened the bottle before passing it to Steve. 

“Thanks.” 

He took a long swig of it. While he drank, the conversation thankfully shifted away from him. Not that it was really about him to begin with, but it was certainly nice to be out of the spotlight. He wasn’t used to talking about himself.

Natasha began talking about some article that she had read for one of her classes. Apparently she was a first year, too. They all were. Steve listened intently, enjoying hearing each of their views. Steve even participated a bit. It felt nice to participate. Steve was so used to just listening. At one point though, the conversation shifted, and Steve found himself listening more than he was talking. But, he didn’t find it as a bad thing. He enjoyed listening to them talk, especially Tony. The guy had a way of speaking that was just…nice. Steve couldn’t really explain it, but he liked the way he spoke. 

After a few hours, Steve left the room to head on home. He wanted to stay longer, actually, but he was exhausted. As he walked down the hall though, he heard someone call after him. 

“Steve!” 

He turned around to see Tony. His eyebrows furrowed. 

“Yeah?” 

“Give me your phone.” Tony held out his hand expectantly. 

“Why?” 

“Because.” 

Steve looked at Tony for a few moments, wondering what he was up to. Finally, though, he gave him his phone. Tony smirked at him and took his phone. Steve glanced at the screen. He saw Tony’s number appear on the screen. 

“There you go. Now, you can get into contact with me.” He winked and went back into the room before Steve could say another word. 

Steve knew that it was common for people to exchange numbers, but it still felt so…foreign to him. Bucky had been the only one at this school who ever wanted to talk to him. Now, suddenly…Tony did too? Smiling softly, he turned back around and headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues.

Although Steve had Tony’s number in his phone now, he refused to call him. Not because Tony had done anything wrong – he just met the guy – he didn’t know much about him. No, Steve was worried that somehow that he would annoy him. After all, this was Tony Stark…he had better things to do than talk to some average Brooklyn kid. 

So, for the next few days, Steve buried himself in his books, preparing for the upcoming exams that he would have to take. It wasn’t the most pleasant way to spend his days, but he had to do well on them. Get all As, if he could. If he did, he would possibly be eligible for a scholarship for the next year. He had taken out a loan to go to school, but a scholarship would definitely make going to law school less stressful. Unlike most kids at the school, Steve wasn’t a rich kid. He couldn’t just beg his parents to pay for his education – he had to figure out how to pay for it on his own. That’s why he was that much more stressed about the upcoming exams. If he got good grades on them, that meant that he wasn’t just wasting his time or money here – that he actually belonged here. 

Surprisingly, no one deterred him from his plan until Tuesday, the day that he received a text message from the person that he had been hoping wouldn’t bother him. 

[So, did you just not take it seriously when I told you to text me?] 

The message was sent by Tony. Steve sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a few minutes, he typed out his reply.

[I didn’t think that you meant that you wanted me to text you right away. –Steve]

[Then why would I have given you my number? –Stark.] 

Steve thought for a moment. That was a good point. 

[Because you were trying to be nice? –Steve]

It sounded ridiculous, even to Steve, but that was the only reason he could think of. 

[Do you honestly think that? –Stark.] 

Steve couldn’t help the blush that rose to his cheeks. He felt like a fool. 

[No…suppose I don’t. –Steve] 

[That’d be the correct answer. –Stark.]

[I’m having a study group later today. You’re invited. –Stark.]

Steve bit his lip. A study group? That was…well, new. The only person that he had studied with before was Bucky and that was because they shared an apartment. 

[Okay. What time? –Steve]

[7. See you then. –Stark]

**** 

 

Steve glanced at the time. 6:45. He bit his lip. According to his GPS, he should leave now if he wanted to get to the study group on time. But something was holding him back. What if the other night had been a fluke? What if Tony liked him then, but not tonight? He could go there tonight and try to talk to Tony more and then he could decide that he didn’t like him. He’d cast him aside, act like they had never been potential friends. That wouldn’t surprise him, actually. Over the years, Steve was used to people finding him interesting at first (he wasn’t sure why they found him interesting at all, really) and then would not find him interesting later on. And for whatever reason, he didn’t want Tony to find him boring. If he didn’t go, maybe that would interest Tony more. 

Steve let out a soft sigh and shook his head. He was being illogical. Sure, Tony could decide that he didn’t like him if he went, but if he didn’t go, Tony could also think that he wasn’t interested. So, he may as well go. And…if it turned out to be exactly what Steve feared it’d be like, then so be it. 

Tugging his messenger bag over his shoulder, Steve left his room and headed to Tony’s place. 

 

Just like Steve had predicted, he arrived at Tony’s place at exactly 7. He rang the doorbell before running a hand through his hair, smoothing it out. The door opened; Tony stood on the other side, smirking at him. This time, Tony was wearing dark jeans and what Steve assumed to be a t-shirt of some band. The other night Tony had said that he was very interested in music, especially ‘older’ bands. 

“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said, gesturing for Steve to come in. 

Steve wasn’t sure if ‘humble’ was the proper way to describe Tony’s place. It wasn’t fancy, but it definitely was nicer than his place. Gleaming hardwood floors lead the way to the kitchen, which had granite counter tops and what seemed to be brand new appliances. He remembered seeing commercials for some of the appliances that were sitting in Tony’s kitchen. Tony lead the way to the family room, which was opposite to the kitchen. A big flat screen television was hung up on the wall. A leather couch sat across from it. Two chairs sat near the television, facing the couch. On the coffee table there were some magazines that were from other countries. Steve bit his lip; he hadn’t even been out of the country, and here Tony was, showing off magazines from various countries. 

“You’re staring,” Tony said, stopping his speech to look at Steve. 

Steve cleared his throat. “I am?” 

“Yes.” 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to.” 

“You seem to stare a lot.”

That comment made Steve blush. “I don’t mean to. Just…you have a nice place. Nicer than mine.” 

Tony shrugged. “This place was actually my parents’ place when they wanted to visit the city. So, when I got into law school, they gave it to me.” 

“That was nice of them.”

Again, Tony shrugged. He gestured away from the room, towards a hallway. “Shall we continue? The other guests should be here in a few minutes.” 

“Sure.” 

Nodding, Tony gave him the tour of the rest of the place. As Steve expected, the rest of the place was nice. He wondered what it would be like to have parents that could afford to give their child their ‘temporary’ house. The tour ended in a large office that had a desk and two couches. A coffee table sat in the middle of the two couches. 

“Make yourself comfortable,” Tony said, gesturing to the couches. “Would you like anything to drink?” 

Steve shook his head. He sat down on one of the couches and stared at his lap, not really knowing what to say. He felt kind of silly, being here. As if he didn’t belong. It was obvious that Tony was from a whole other…background than him. He definitely shouldn’t be here. He moved to stand up, but the doorbell rang. Steve sighed and sat back down. 

“I’ll be right back,” Tony said, winking at Steve. “Don’t go anywhere.” 

Well, that went that plan. Yeah, he could still leave, but that would be rude now. 

“Will do,” Steve mumbled, even though Tony had already left. He glanced around the room, noticing how there weren’t a lot of pictures of Tony with his family on the walls. Huh. That was...interesting. That’s none of your business, Steve chastised himself. He forced his gaze back to his lap and took out a notebook. While he waited, he doodled on the side of a page. 

A few minutes later, he heard voices come closer to the room. He closed the notebook when the voices seemed to be right outside of the office. He drummed his fingers along the cover and glanced towards the door. 

“Hey Steve,” Natasha said, entering the room. She smiled at him. “Nice to see you again.” 

“You too.” He gave her a small smile.

Rhodey entered the room and nodded towards Steve. He shook Steve’s hand before sitting down on the opposite couch, next to Natasha. Steve’s eyebrows furrowed when Tony didn’t enter the room after Rhodey.

“Where’s Tony?” 

“Getting snacks. And drinks,” Natasha said. 

Nodding, Steve focused his gaze back on his notebook. He felt like he should say something, but nothing came to mind. Small talk was never really his forte. Luckily for him though, Tony walked into the room a few moments later. He was holding a tray that was stacked with snacks and had various pitchers of drinks on it. 

“Got some brain food,” Tony said, smirking at them. He placed it on the coffee table before taking a seat next to Steve. “And now the study session can begin.” 

The study session lasted quite a bit of time, but they managed to get a lot of things done. And thanks to them – mainly Tony, though – Steve felt like he had a better grasp on the material. When he left, he felt like he’d be able to ace his exam. 

*** 

 

Over the next week, Steve met with Tony, Rhodey, and Natasha a lot to study. Even Bucky came to some of the sessions. Most of the sessions were focused on studying, but Steve found himself actually having, fun, too. They would always eventually get off topic and would talk about random things, like movies, books, what would they do if they were stranded on a deserted island, etc. 

Steve was actually a bit disappointed when the study sessions ended. He was glad that he didn’t have to study anymore, but he knew that he would miss studying with them. Sure, there was always next year, but Steve wasn’t sure that they would still want to hang out with him then. And, apparently, second year was supposed to be more hectic than the first year. So, even if they wanted to hang out with him, they might not have time to. And, not everyone was required to take the same classes, so there was a possibility that they might not even be in his classes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment or kudos. ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter! Hope you enjoy it.

Just like Steve had expected, the first month of second year was spent alone. Well, alone in the sense that he didn’t talk to anyone except for Bucky. He supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised. He had heard that friendships that develop during the first year typically break apart during the second year. Not because people suddenly stop wanting to be friends with the people they met during first year, they were just too busy doing other things. 

Steve knew that he could contact Tony, but he wasn’t sure if he should. When they parted last semester, Tony had said that they would have ‘hang out’ in the fall. Steve took that to mean that Tony would contact him. 

On the fifth Friday of the new semester, Bucky knocked on his door. 

“Steve?” 

“What is it, Bucky?” He glanced away from the cooking show that he had been watching.

“It’s a Friday night.”

“So?” 

“And you’re watching a cooking show.” 

“What’s your point?” 

“That you need to get out! You can’t spend all night watching the cooking network.” 

“But I enjoy watching these shows.” 

Bucky walked over to Steve and grabbed the remote that was sitting on the table. He turned off the television. 

“Well, you’re not watching them tonight.” 

Steve glanced up at him and tried to grab the remote from him. Bucky jumped back and held the remote above Steve’s head so he couldn’t reach it. Steve jumped to try to get it, but it wasn’t any use. He couldn’t jump high enough to get it. 

“Come on, Steve. You could have fun. Or at least more fun than just sitting around and watching some tv show that you can watch later.” 

“But Buck-”

“No. There’s a new restaurant that just opened up and a bunch of people are going there. You’re coming with.” 

Bucky lowered his arm just a bit. Steve’s gaze flicked from the remote back to Bucky. He knew that he could try to get the remote from him, but he probably would lose. He always lost when he tried to wrestle Bucky. Sighing, he nodded. 

“Fine. I’ll go.” 

 

 

*** 

 

 

Of course he was there. Sitting at a table in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by some of his friends – Steve recognized most of them – was Tony. Slowly, Steve exhaled through his nose. He glanced behind him, at the door. Maybe he could slip out. No one would notice. 

“You’re staying, Steve,” Bucky said, as if he knew exactly what Steve was thinking. 

“But, Buck-”

“Come on. It won’t be too bad. Remember last time? You were pleasantly surprised by how nice the party was.” 

“But that was different…” 

How was it different, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he didn’t want to stay here. 

“Is this because of-”

“Steve!” A voice cut through the buzz of conversation. Steve swore a little under his breath. As much as he did want to see Tony, he was worried, like always, that somehow he’d make a fool out of himself. 

A blush colored Steve’s cheeks at the sound of his name. 

“Yeah?” 

“Stop standing there and come over here.” 

Steve’s gaze flicked to Bucky, who just nodded in Tony’s direction. Sighing, Steve made his way over to the table. The table was quite large, easily able to fit Steve and Bucky as well as Tony and his friends. There was an empty seat next to Tony. Of course there was an open seat next to him. Steve bit his lip and quickly surveyed the rest of the table, looking for another seat. There was one next to Natasha, but Bucky took it before Steve could take it. 

“Are you just going to keep standing there?” Tony asked, gaze flicking up to Steve.

“Oh…sorry,” Steve mumbled. He took a seat next to Tony. 

“I ordered some calamari along with some salads. Apparently their calamari are supposed to be the best in town.” 

Steve nodded and opened up his menu, trying to look busy. Tony watched him for a few moments before glancing back at his own menu. For the next twenty minutes or so, Steve was quiet. After he had figured out what he wanted to eat, he switched his attention to two of the guys sitting next to him – Clint and Sam. Apparently they were in their class, too, but they had just transferred into the school this year. Tony busied himself with talking to Rhodey for a bit until the waitress came over and asked them what they would want for a drink. 

“Oh, I’m good, thank you,” Steve said. 

Tony raised an eyebrow. “No drink? Really?” 

Steve could feel his cheeks burn just a bit under his gaze. One drink wouldn’t be bad. And he couldn’t quite remember when the last time he had an alcoholic drink. 

“Okay – I’ll have whatever he’s having.” He gestured to Tony. 

The waitress nodded and walked away. 

“Good decision,” Tony said, winking. ‘So, how has the term been treating you so far?”

“It’s been okay. Professors seem to be assigning a ton of readings…but they’re not too bad.” 

“I don’t mind the readings, either.”

“Really?” 

“Yes, really.” He took a sip of water. “You seem surprised.” 

Steve shook his head. “No! Not surprised.” 

“Definitely are surprised.” 

“I…well, most people I’ve talked to don’t like the readings that we have to do.”

Which he didn’t really understand. They were all pursuing law so the readings that they had to do should interest them. 

“Well, I’m not most people,” Tony said. “I thought that that was clear?” 

Steve felt his cheeks get warm. He glanced down at his menu again, holding it up a bit so it covered most of his face. He felt Tony’s gaze on him, but he tried to ignore it. He perused the menu, trying to find something decent to eat. He found something that looked good within about a minute or two, but he kept his head buried in the menu until the waitress came back. Anything to keep himself from making a fool of himself in front of Tony. 

Unfortunately, Steve’s reprieve didn’t last for very long. The waitress came over a few minutes later and took all of their orders, along with their menus. Steve wanted to tell her to cancel his order and leave, but he knew that wasn’t the mature thing to do. 

“Are you normally this averse to conversation?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Steve’s gaze flicked to Tony. He took a long sip of the mixed drink that Tony had gotten him. 

“What makes you say that I am?” 

“Well, whenever you don’t talk to anyone else – except for Bucky – and whenever I try to make a conversation with you, you try to avoid it.” 

Steve bit the inside of his cheek. 

“No, it’s not like that…” Steve said softly. He kept his gaze on the table. 

“Then what is it? Can’t stand to look at someone as pretty as me?” 

Steve rolled his eyes. Sure, Tony was pretty, but he wasn’t that level of pretty. 

“You wish,” Steve mumbled. 

“Then what is it, then?” 

Steve took a long sip of his drink. Anything to buy him some time. 

“Well, you’re supposedly the smartest person around here, so why don’t you guess.” 

“You think that I’m the smartest one here?” Tony asked, eyebrow raised. 

“Shut up,” Steve mumbled. “You know that you were ranked the highest in our level.” 

Tony took a sip of his drink. He smirked. “I just didn’t know that you knew that.” 

“It’s common knowledge. Ranking is important in law school.” 

Tony stared at Steve for a few moments, as if he was trying to figure something out about him. Steve’s gaze flicked away from him, settling back on the table. He was worried that if Tony saw his gaze, he would be able to read his thoughts. 

“I suppose that is true,” Tony finally said. “Anyways. I think that you don’t talk to me, or many people, because you’re worried about how you come across. The less you talk, the more difficult it is for people to learn anything about you.” 

Steve’s stomach churned; he hadn’t thought that Tony would hit so close to the truth. Especially since he had tried to make some conversation with him last term. But he guessed all of that conversation had been shallow, nothing of real importance. Sure, they had some ‘deeper’ conversations, but Steve had rarely talked during those conversations. 

“I do talk to people.” 

What a lame excuse, Rogers. 

“Yes, but about shallow things.” 

“They’re not shallow things.” 

Oh, but Steve knew that Tony was right. He did tend to talk about shallow things. It was…safer that way. Because if he did open up to someone, like Tony, and they didn’t like what they saw…well, that would be that friendship – or potential friendship, down the drain. And Steve didn’t want that to happen. So, it was best to keep people at an arm’s length. Bucky had been lucky that he was his roommate. It was harder for Steve to be so closed off to him. But, he wasn’t really worried about Bucky judging him. Bucky rarely judged anyone. 

Tony gave him a look before taking a sip of his drink. 

“Whatever you say. You were the one who told me to guess…and I stand by what I said.” 

Before Steve could respond, the waitress came over with their food. Steve pivoted in his seat so he was facing the table now. Bucky tilted his head at him, as if asking him what was going on. Steve just shook his head and looked down at the table. Hopefully the conversation that he had with Tony was now over. 

The waitress handed Steve his dish; Steve thanked her before digging in. While he ate, Tony and his conversation kept replaying in his mind. There was no way that Tony was going to let this conversation just go. Yes, he had said that whatever Steve said was okay, but he knew that Tony would want a better explanation. When Steve was finished with his meal, he tossed the money that he owed down on the table and excused himself. He didn’t bother to wait around for the others’ permission to leave. He just bolted out of the restaurant and made his way home, away from the restaurant. And the conversation he just had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a comment or kudos if you want! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! It's slightly longer than the other chapters. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

Steve didn’t talk to Tony for a couple weeks after that. Not exactly because Steve didn’t want to talk to him, but because he was worried about what Tony would say to him. During their last encounter, Tony had basically read him like he a book. Knew things about him that he hadn’t expected him to know. What would happen if Steve let him see more of him? That’s right – he’d be in more danger. Not physical danger, of course. But in danger of allowing himself to get hurt down the line. Once people got to know Steve, they rarely stuck around. 

Tony had tried to talk to Steve, but Steve would try to bury himself in his phone or pretend that he was busy doing homework to avoid talking to him. Anything to get Tony to stop talking to him. But no matter what he did, the man still seemed to be interested in him. 

“Are you ever going to talk to Tony?” Bucky asked one night when they were doing homework. 

“Why does it matter?” 

“He clearly wants to talk to you.” 

“And?” 

“And you don’t think that you should talk to him?” 

Steve glanced up at Bucky before glancing back at his book. “I’m not having this conversation, Buck.” 

He could feel Bucky staring at him. 

“You know, Tony has texted me,” Bucky said. 

Now that got Steve’s attention. His gaze shifted back to his friend. “He has?” 

“Yes.” 

Steve forced himself to shrug his shoulders and go back to reading. Steve tried to read, but the words were meaningless to him. His mind wouldn’t stop replaying Bucky’s words. Tony had texted him. Why? Why did Tony care so much about being friends with him? He was Tony Stark; he could be friends with anyone. Steve was a nobody. But…clearly Tony had some interest in him. Him. Steve Rogers. Still, he couldn’t understand what Tony would find so appealing about him. But still…Tony must’ve found something appealing about him. A small smirk curled Steve’s lips upwards. Tony Stark found him a least a bit interesting. And no matter how scared Steve was about letting Tony learn more about him, he was pleased that Tony at least liked him a tiny bit. 

 

**** 

 

One would think that knowing Tony Stark held some interest for them would make them want to talk to him, but Steve was not that person. Well. He just didn’t act on that want. As much as he liked the idea, he was still afraid that somehow, Tony would still dislike him when he got to know him. Really know him. 

Bucky kept telling Steve to talk to Tony, but Steve refused. 

About ten days after that, Steve’s plan of Avoiding Tony Stark was put to a halt. Steve glanced up from his laptop, unable to believe his ears. 

“What, professor?” Steve asked, looking at his professor with wide eyes.

“You and Tony are going to complete this project together.” 

But…he couldn’t. No. That would ruin his plan. 

“We’re unable to pick our own partners?” 

The professor raised her eyebrows at Steve’s remark. 

“You are all adults. I expect that you’ll be able to work with anyone that you’re assigned to. After all, when you’re in court, you may not mesh well with your client, but you will have to work with them to complete a goal.” 

Steve sighed deeply. She was right. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled. 

His phone vibrated a few moments later. 

Guess we’re partners, huh? –Stark. 

Steve pursed his lips. There went his plan. 

Guess so. 

He hit the send button before he could change his mind about what he sent. 

 

*** 

 

Unfortunately for Steve, they had decided to meet a few days later. He thought that the days would go by slowly, but the day that he was supposed to meet up with Tony came faster than he had expecting. He stood on the other side of Tony’s door, one hand drumming along his messenger bag, the other knocking on the door. 

Tony had told him to arrive at 5, but he was a few minutes early. He tried to be late, actually – he was dreading this – but he arrived early anyways. Guess his tendency to be early was engrained in him. 

A few moments later, the door opened. Tony was wearing a black t-shirt with the letters “AC-DC” on the front. He was wearing faded jeans. An outfit that Steve had never seen before. He tried to pry his eyes away from him, but he couldn’t. There was something about the clothing that just…suited Tony. 

“Do you always stare when you first see someone?” Tony asked, throwing Steve out of his stupor. 

Steve’s cheeks grew warm. 

“No,” he managed to say. 

“So it’s just me, then?” 

No, of course not. He wanted to say no, but that’s not what came out of his mouth. 

“I wasn’t staring,” Steve retorted. 

Steve mentally winced. That was a great comeback. Jeez. He definitely needed to work on that.

“Mhm, sure.” He opened the door more and gestured for Steve to come in. He led him over to the living room. Some snacks were already placed on the coffee table. “I thought that you may want to eat something, so I put some food out.” 

Oh. Steve…hadn’t been expecting that. 

“Thanks.” 

He took a seat on the floor, on one side of the coffee table. Tony sat on the other side. Steve stared at him for a moment before taking out his laptop and placing it on the table. 

“So…er, I was thinking that we could do some research on the cases first. You can do some research on the laws, if you want?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” 

With that, they set to work. Their project that they were working on was about how certain cases related to each other. None of them broke the same law, but they had to figure out how they were related. Apparently, according to the professor, the cases were related by the type of law that they broke. Not very difficult, but these types of projects always made Steve nervous because he could never tell how the professor was going to grade. 

They spent the next hour or so researching and taking notes. The room was quiet, save for the occasional sound of clicking keys or scratches of pen upon paper. Steve was actually surprised that Tony didn’t make any discussion. He thought Tony would want to ask him about his behavior as of late, but perhaps he was wrong. Maybe Tony didn’t care about his behavior that much. But…still, Steve doubted that was the case. Tony was merely focusing on what they had to accomplish instead of Steve’s behavior. A half an hour passed before Tony finally spoke up. 

“I know that you’re thinking about something.” 

Steve’s gaze peeked over his laptop. He shook his head. “I’m not thinking anything at all.” 

“No? Then why do you keep looking at me?” 

“I’m not looking at you,” Steve mumbled. 

Tony sighed deeply. “You were.” 

Steve bit the inside of his cheek. He glanced down at his keyboard. “I…was thinking about something.” 

“That was related to me, I assume.” 

Steve didn’t want this conversation to continue, but he knew that if he deflected Tony’s statement, Tony would just keep pestering him until he spilled the beans. 

“Yes…it was,” Steve said quietly. 

“Ah. And what were you thinking about, exactly?” 

“Why did you text Bucky?”

“What do you mean?” 

Really? That was his response? 

“He told me that you texted him.” 

“Ah, right. That.” Steve looked at him expectantly, waiting for more of an explanation. “You had been avoiding me, so I figured that he would know what was going on with you.” 

That was pretty much what Steve was expecting him to say, but hearing it still surprised him. He sucked in a breath before exhaling slowly. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s just that…you keep giving me mixed signals here, Rogers. Last semester you seemed to have no problem with studying with me or my friends, but this semester…you have been distant.” 

Ah. And this is what Steve had been so worried about. He glanced down at the table. 

“It wasn’t intentional,” Steve mumbled.

“It felt very intentional,” Tony said, tone harsh. 

Steve stomach churned; his gaze shifted back to Tony. He noticed how the corners of Tony’s mouth were turned downwards. Oh. Tony was…upset. He hadn’t meant for him to get upset. Guess he had been too caught up in his own thoughts to see how his actions were affecting the other. He frowned at Tony. 

“I’m sorry, Tony…I didn’t mean to make you upset.” 

‘Then why have you been acting this way?” 

“I’ve worried,” Steve whispered. His voice refused to get any louder.

“About what?” Tony asked, his voice soft. All traces of his earlier tone had vanished. 

Steve knew that he should look at him as he said this, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to see his reaction. 

“I was worried that you weren’t going to like me.” 

Tony didn’t say anything. Silence fell over the room. Steve thought that maybe it would go away within a few seconds, but it didn’t. Steve drummed his fingers along the table, trying to distract himself from the lack of noise. He wanted to say something else, but he figured that it was best to…let Tony be for a bit. So, he sat there, drumming his fingers along the table, hoping that he hadn’t said something disastrous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Feel free to comment or leave kudos.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting this so late. 
> 
> I'm in a bit of a writing slump, so any comments would be appreciated!

One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes passed. Steve stared at Tony, wondering if he ever was going to speak. If he wasn’t…well, he’d want a cue so he could just leave. And never bother him again. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off before he could. 

“Steve,” he said. His voice was softer, kinder, than he had ever heard it. 

Steve’s felt his heart beat faster. 

“What?” 

“You…thought…that I didn’t like you? Weren’t going to like you?” 

Steve’s gaze shifted to his lap. “Yes,” he murmured. He wasn’t proud of his thinking. It was just…how he felt. And, what had happened to him in the past. 

“Even after we have spent many hours together?” 

“Yes,” Steve said again, gaze still downcast. 

Silence fell over them again. Steve clasped his hands together in his lap. He twirled his thumbs while he waited for Tony to say something. 

“Steve, I enjoy spending time with you.” 

“Okay.”

“Are you saying that I’m lying?” 

Steve glanced up at him. “No.” 

“It seems like you are.” 

“It’s just…hard to believe, that’s all.” 

Tony closed his laptop. He propped one of his elbows on the table and rested his chin on it. 

“And why’s that?” 

“Because…you’re Tony Stark.” 

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“And?” 

“I don’t know…I mean,” He shrugged. “You can hang out with people who are more interesting than me, cooler than me.” 

Steve swore under his breath. He couldn’t believe that he had finally said that aloud. To Tony. He glanced down at his lap again. 

“You don’t think that you’re interesting?” 

Steve shrugged. What he thought wasn’t important. People always eventually left him anyways. So, he must be uninteresting. 

“But you are interesting. And you should think that you are, Steve, because you are. As I said, I don’t talk to people I dislike.” 

“Really?” Steve asked. He looked at him, eyes wide. As if he truly couldn’t believe that Tony was telling him this. 

Tony chuckled. “Yes, really.” 

 

They worked on their project for about another hour or so before they decided to call it quits. The project wasn’t due for a while, so they figured that they could finish it up at another time. And, after that conversation, it had been kind of difficult for Steve to focus, so when he got done what he had planned to get done, he suggested to Tony that it was time to call it a night. 

Steve walked to the front door of the apartment with Tony trailing him. They didn’t say anything, each content in their own thoughts. Steve paused by the front door and looked at him. 

“Thanks, er, for having me over.” 

“Don’t mention it.” 

Steve looked up at him, probably looking at him for a touch too long. He didn’t mean to – it just happened. 

“I’ll see you in class, then,” Steve said. 

Tony smirked at Steve. “See you in class.” 

 

*** 

 

And they did see each other in class. 

But not in the same way that Steve was expecting. Normally, Tony sat near the back of the room, with some of his other friends while Steve sat in the front row. Steve liked the front row – it helped him focus better. That wasn’t what happened today, though. Oh, no. 

Steve had gotten to class early like usual and sat down in his normal seat. He took out his laptop and notebook and placed them on the table. The seat next to him was empty, like it normally was. Steve was just about to put his bag on the chair when someone walked up to the seat. 

“Is this seat taken?” 

Steve, of course, recognized the voice immediately. He took his bag away from the seat as he glanced up at Tony. 

“No…it’s not.” 

“Mind if I sit here, then? Or were you saving it for someone special?” He winked at him. 

Steve’s cheeks grew warm. He didn’t know how Tony could do that – make him blush with just a few words. 

“N-no, you can take it.” 

“Thanks.” 

Tony sat down and took out his laptop. Once he was situated, he glanced at Steve. 

“So, I was thinking about our project.” 

Steve looked at him. “Yeah?” 

“I think that we should meet up tonight and finish it up. I was looking it over and I don’t think that we have too much more to do.” 

“Okay – do you want me to come over your place again? Or do you want to come to mine?” Even though there was nothing wrong with asking that, Steve’s cheeks turned a light pink. He glanced at the chalkboard. 

“Your place?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well, yeah, I’ve got to live somewhere.” 

Tony laughed.

“Valid point. I’m just surprised. You haven’t invited me to your place before.” 

“There’s a first time for everything,” Steve said, smirking at him. 

“That’s true. Sure. Your place, then.” 

Steve nodded. “I’ll text you my address after class.” 

The professor walked to the front of the room and glanced at the students. She began lecturing about some case that happened a while ago. Steve glanced at his notebook and smiled softly. Perhaps this day wouldn’t be too bad after all. 

 

*** 

 

When Steve got home that day, he told Bucky to not make a mess because he had a guest coming over. He spent the afternoon bustling about the apartment, trying to clean it. It wasn’t that the apartment was dirty – both of them were pretty neat, but he wanted it to look nice. Presentable. Especially since it wasn’t as fancy as Tony’s place. Bucky sat on the couch, and watched Steve with an amused smile. 

“So I take it things have finally turned around with Tony, then, huh?” 

“Shut up.” 

“Is this a date? Because you’re certainly acting like it’s one.” 

Steve pulled the vacuum out of the closet. He glared at Bucky. 

“We’re working on our presentation, Bucky.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Yes.” 

Bucky chuckled. “I’ll stay out of your hair, then. Wouldn’t want to distract you two.” 

Steve blushed crimson. He tried to come up with some sort of retort, but he couldn’t think of anything. Bucky smirked at him and left the living room, going into his own bedroom. He shut the door behind him. Sighing, Steve went back to his cleaning, wanting to make the place look spotless for Tony. A part of Steve thought that if he could impress Tony tonight, perhaps all of his worry about him not liking him later on would disappear. 

So, tonight had to go perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took me so long to post this...here you go.

Tony arrived several minutes after Steve thought that he would. Steve assumed that he would be late, but he didn’t think that he’d be this late. Not that Tony was actually that late. He got to Steve’s apartment fifteen minutes after 7. 

Steve brushed his hand through his hair, smoothing it out, before he opened the door. As always, Tony looked like he had just stepped off of some sort of fashion magazine. He was wearing black jeans with a short-sleeve polo shirt that only had two buttons buttoned, exposing some of his chest. Steve glanced at his shirt, his gaze lingering a bit too long at the exposed area. He swallowed thickly. 

“Tony,” Steve said, forcing himself to look at his face. 

“Sorry that I’m late. Here, I brought some dinner.” Tony lifted up a plastic bag. 

“Dinner?” 

“Yes. It’s what people eat at night?” 

Steve’s cheeks blossomed pink. He nodded and gestured for Tony to come in. 

“Yes…I know that. You just…didn’t have to do that.” 

Tony shrugged. “I figured that since you’re hosting I’d bring over some food.” 

“Thanks.” 

He closed the door and walked down the hallway, into the living room. The floors glistened under the lights. The normally covered in textbooks coffee table was completely clear, save for a cup that had a pens, pencils, and highlighters in it.

“I figured that we could do work here,” Steve said. “Unless you prefer to do it in my bedroom.” The statement caused Steve’s face to turn warm. He glanced down at his feet, hoping that the other couldn’t see how rosy his cheeks were. 

“Doing it here is fine. Perhaps we could do a house tour later, though? I could see your bedroom, then.” He winked at Steve. 

Steve stared at him. What was the wink for? Why did he have to wink after every little thing he said? It made it so difficult for Steve to have a conversation with him without looking like an idiot. At least, that’s the way that Steve felt. 

“Sure, if you want,” Steve said after a couple of moments. He sat down on the couch, next to his laptop. 

Tony took a seat on the couch, too, only sitting a few feet away from him. Even though Steve knew that Tony was precisely sitting two feet away from him, he didn’t get why that fact was so important to him. He had sat the same distance away from Bucky before and it had never met anything. So…why was Tony so different? 

Steve didn’t have much time to dwell on that because Tony jolted him out of his thoughts. 

“So I brought a bunch of different dishes – I wasn’t sure what you liked. But I got fried rice, lo mein, egg rolls, and sweet and sour chicken.”

He blinked and glanced at the coffee table, where Tony had been beginning to lay out a bunch of different boxes. 

“Oh…thanks. I’ll have the fried rice.” 

Tony grinned. “Excellent choice. I have to say, it’s one of my favorite dishes.” He handed him the carton. 

Once they had begun to eat their meals, they started to work on the presentation. They worked mainly in silence, concentrated on getting this presentation done before the night was over. And, unlike most of their classmates, they didn’t feel like spending all night working on it. The sooner they got it finished, the better. Steve occasionally glanced at Tony, but for the most part, he focused on his section of the project, wanting it to be perfect since he knew that Tony’s section would be perfect. 

A couple of hours passed before they were finally finished with their presentation. And, by the time they were done, it looked, well, great. 

“We’ll definitely get the highest mark in the class,” Tony said, glancing at Steve. 

“You think so?” 

“Definitely.” 

Steve glanced at his laptop, scrolling through the presentation one more time. It really did look good. 

“You’re right…it does.” 

Tony nodded and stretched. 

“Want to take a walk? I’m feeling quite stiff.” 

A walk? With…just the two of them? Steve looked at him with wide eyes. 

“Steve…it’s just a walk…you walk every day.” 

Yes, but not with other people. Well. He walked with Bucky, but they were roommates. That was to be expected. But with other people? Especially Tony? At 10 o’clock at night? No, that didn’t happen. Ever. 

“Steve?” Tony asked. 

Steve blinked; his gaze flicked over to Tony. 

“Er…sure, yeah. We can take a walk.” 

Tony smirked at Steve and got up, walking over to the apartment door. 

“I promise it won’t be too bad to take a walk with me, you may even enjoy it,” Tony said. He winked at Steve. 

Well, Steve certainly hoped that this walk wouldn’t be unpleasant. He didn’t think it would be, though. Nothing with Tony seemed to be unpleasant. Tony had a tendency to make simple things – such as working on a presentation – enjoyable. Maybe it was his company; it seemed to have a calming effect on him, even if he was nervous most of the time he was around the other man. 

“I’m sure that it will be tolerable,” Steve said, refusing to inflate Tony’s ego even more. 

Tony looked offended. 

“Just tolerable?” He rolled his eyes. “I bet by the end of our walk, you’ll find it not just tolerable, but enjoyable.” 

Steve didn’t comment on that. Either way he responded, Tony was sure to take what he said and run with it. He grabbed the keys to the apartment and led him out of the apartment. He fumbled with his keys for a couple of moments – why did there have to be so many keys? - before he managed to lock the door. Smiling sheepishly at Tony, he led him down the stairs, out of the building, and into the night time air. 

For the first couple of minutes of the walk, both of them remained quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional snapping of tree branches that had fallen onto the sidewalk. Steve glanced at Tony a few times, wondering if he was going to speak, or if they were going to go this entire walk without talking. Either way, Steve didn’t really think that he would mind. It was nice just to have Tony with him. 

When they took a turn that led to their campus, Tony glanced at Steve. 

“So, Steve,” Tony started. Steve looked at him, a questioning expression on his face. “Tell me about yourself.” 

Steve blinked a couple of times. 

“What do you mean?” 

Tony shrugged. “It's pretty clear...just tell me something about you.” 

Steve bit his lip. There was plenty that he could say, but he just didn’t know where to begin. Or what exactly he wanted to tell Tony at this moment. 

“Could…er, you ask me questions instead?” 

“Sure,” Tony said. “So…what’s your favorite color?” 

Oh…well, that question was surprisingly simple. Steve had thought that Tony would ask him a much more serious question than that. 

“Green.” 

“Mine’s red,” Tony said. 

Steve’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you know that those are complementary colors?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. 

“Complementary colors?” 

“Nothing. Never mind,” Steve said. His cheeks turned light pink. 

“No…what did you mean?” 

Steve shook his head. “It isn’t important.” 

Tony stared at him for a few moments, as if waiting for Steve to say something more. After a few seconds, Tony sighed. 

“Fine. It isn’t important. Well…since you know complementary colors, I take it that you like art?” 

Steve blushed a bit. He wasn’t really used to talking about art with other people. It was something he did just for fun. Or did it when he felt like he really needed to get out of his head a bit. 

“I do,” Steve finally said after several moments. 

Tony’s eyes widened at that. “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises?” he mused. 

Steve’s blush deepend; he glanced at his feet. 

“So, what kind of art do you like to do?” 

“Well…I like to paint, but I really like to draw. Anything, really. When I was in college I used to sit around campus and draw the different buildings. They weren’t very good drawings…but I enjoyed working on them.” 

“I’m sure that they are good.” 

Steve shrugged. He wasn’t sure about that. He had shown his ex-girlfriend, Peggy them once, and she said that they were good. But he had figured that she had said that because he was her boyfriend at the time. 

“Do you ever draw people?” Tony asked. 

“Sometimes,” Steve said, his voice a bit softer than before. 

“Really?”

“Yeah…I like capturing people’s facial expressions. Or the way they look in that moment.” 

He didn’t draw people very often, but he did enjoy it. 

“Would you be opposed to drawing me sometime?” Tony asked, grinning at him. 

The question took Steve by surprise. So surprised that he almost walked into a low hanging branch. Tony had to grab his wrist to stop him from moving. Pausing at the sudden feeling on his skin, Steve glanced at the spot where Tony’s hand was. He blushed and pulled his hand away. 

“Are you okay?” Tony asked. 

“Y-yes, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose that I could…if you want me to.” 

“Yes. That’s why I asked.” 

“Okay. I guess I could, then. Perhaps on Friday?” 

Tony grinned. “It’s a date, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter! Feel free to leave a comment or kudos. ^_^


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry that it took so long to upload this. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with the story if you're reading this chapter! Hope you like it. ^_^

For the entire week, all Steve could think about was the fact that Tony and him had a date on Friday. Well. Was it a date? When Tony had said that, he didn’t exactly know if he was being serious or not. Sometimes people said ‘date’ when they didn’t really mean that it was one. Steve, of course, could ask Tony if it was a date, but he was not going to do that. He didn't need Tony to realize that he was truly an idiot quite yet. But, even when he told himself that it probably wasn't a 'date date', his nerves didn't calm down. At all. 

Bucky, of course, could sense his nervousness throughout the week, occasionally asking him what he was so ‘bent out of shape’ for. Steve hadn’t told Bucky why he was so nervous, but he figured that Bucky had a pretty good idea as to why he was acting the way he was. Steve only acted this frazzled when it had something to do with Tony. 

On Friday, Steve spent most of the afternoon, once again, cleaning the apartment. Luckily Bucky was out though so he couldn’t make fun of him for being so ‘keyed up’ or ask him questions about what was happening. 

He set up an easel in the living room once the room was clean. Clean wasn’t even an accurate description of how clean the room was; the room was immaculate. The pillows on the couch were perfectly arranged, one resting in front of each couch cushion. The television didn’t have any dust on it and the screen had been wiped clean. The hardwood floors gleamed under the bright lights. The normally covered with textbooks coffee table was clear, save for a series of pencils that Steve needed to do his sketching of Tony. And, near the coffee table, there was a chair that Steve had brought in from the kitchen so he could sit there while he drew Tony. He stood near the door of the family room, looking at the state of the room. Yes, this should be good enough. If Tony had a problem with it…well, he didn’t know what else he could clean. 

Once the room was arranged, Steve went into his bedroom to change. He had no idea what to change into, though. Obviously he had to look presentable – he couldn’t wear the sweatpants and t-shirt he was currently wearing – but he had no idea what to wear. Sighing, he looked through his closet, trying to find something that would be comfortable enough to wear while he was drawing, but still look nice on him. 

After several minutes of searching, he finally found something presentable. And just in time, too. A few minutes later, the doorbell sounded. Swearing, Steve shut his closet door and rushed into the living room. 

“Coming!” he yelled. 

He slid a hand through his hair, smoothing it out, before opening the door. Tony stood on the other side, a smirk upon his face. 

“Took you long enough,” he teased. His gaze slid down Steve’s outfit before sliding back up. “Seems like you took some dressing lessons from me?” 

Steve shook his head. 

“N-no, I just…decided to wear this.” 

Tony walked into the apartment, closing the door behind him. 

“Black trousers are my thing, though. You most certainly copied my look.” 

Steve blushed. Perhaps he had taken some inspiration from Tony’s outfits…but that wasn’t important right now. 

“They’re comfortable,” Steve mumbled. He led Tony over to the little studio that he had set up in the living room. “Anyways…thanks for coming over. Did you want something to drink? Or eat?” 

Tony shook his head. He gestured to the chair that was near the easel. 

“Is this where the magic happens?” 

Steve glanced at his feet for a moment before looking back at Tony. 

“That’s where I sit, yes,” Steve said, trying to change the topic. 

“Do you want me to strip?”

Strip? Steve blinked, almost sure that he hadn’t heard him right. 

“What?” 

“It’s a joke, Rogers.” He winked at him. “Although, I’m sure that you can’t wait to see what’s under this.” He gestured to his clothing. 

Steve blushed deeply at that, unable to control his cheeks from heating up. He cleared his throat and gestured to the chair. 

“You should sit down…make yourself comfortable. You won’t be able to move for a while.” 

He planned on trying to draw quickly though so Tony wouldn’t get bored or find that the situation was too awkward since Steve wouldn’t be talking. He had tried to make conversation while drawing before, but it hadn’t turned out well. Steve had told Bucky that he didn’t need to keep it, but Bucky had kept it. He had said that it would be rude to throw it out, especially since Steve had spent so long working on it. 

“You’re the boss,” Tony said.

He shrugged off his jacket before he sat down on the chair. Steve couldn’t help it – he stared a bit. Tony was wearing a blue button-down shirt that hugged his arms in a way that clothing shouldn’t be able to. And the thing that made it worse was, Steve had sworn that he, himself, had worn a similar type of shirt on the first day of class this year. Had Tony copied his look, too? Or took inspiration from it? The thought made Steve's mouth turn up to a faint smile.

“What is it?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Steve, finally, broke free of his little trance. 

“N-nothing. Let's get started.” 

He glanced away from him and picked up one of his pencils. 

“Remember – stay still. I’ll let you know when you can move.” 

Tony nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the back of the wooden chair Steve had set out for him. 

For the next hour or so, Steve sat there, moving his pencil across the canvas, trying to capture the way Tony was sitting, his facial expression, the slight creases in his shirt and pants. Some people wouldn’t care much about the latter aspects of the drawing, but Steve wanted this to look as realistic as he possibly could. Besides, it wasn’t every day that he had a chance to draw someone famous. Sure, Tony wasn’t that famous compared to actors and such, but he was still famous. And surprisingly, Tony stayed silent throughout the whole process, allowing Steve to concentrate on what he was working on. When Steve thought that he had finished drawing Tony, he smiled at him.

“It’s done.” 

Tony raised an eyebrow. 

“It is?” 

“Well, mostly. All I have to do is shade it in.” 

Tony got up and walked over to where Steve was sitting. He glanced at the canvas; his eyes widened just a bit. 

“You could be an artist, Steve...like...a professional artist,” he said, looking down at Steve. 

“Really? You think so?” Steve asked, surprised. He never thought that he was that good at drawing. Sure, he was decent…but he wasn’t great at it. 

“Yes, definitely.” 

Tony took a step closer to Steve so he could see the picture more clearly. 

“You’re really talented, Steve,” Tony said. 

Steve turned just a bit in his chair so he was facing the other. Tony looked down at him; his gaze caught Steve’s. Steve stared at him for a few moments before something clicked in his brain. His eyes widened; Tony was so close to him. If he could just lean in a little more – 

His thoughts were cut off by the sudden press of soft lips against his. Steve didn’t know what to do at first, too shocked by what was happening. Within a few seconds, though, Steve kissed the Tony back. His heart beat rapidly in his chest.

And, as soon as the kiss had started, it had stopped. Tony pulled away and grinned at Steve. 

“A good kisser, too,” he said. 

Steve stared at him. He wanted to say something, but his mouth refused to work. All he could think about was the Tony Stark had kissed him. Tony Stark. Had. Kissed. Him.


End file.
